, 1887-09-25
A MIGHTY HUNTER.
Some Exploits of Toe Hurt of
RaWlins, in Early Days.
Sheltered by Rocks, He Kills Seven
teen Red Skins.
Following a Band of Indians and
Recovering Horses.
Killing 1900 Antelope in Four Days
to Fill a Contract.

There lives to-day in the city of Raw
Inns. Carbon county, a man who enjoys
the proud distinction-at any rate his
friends are proud of it-of having, in the
course of his career on the frontier, killed
over 100 hostile Indians, slaughtered
fully 10000 antelope and about 5000
buffalo.
His name is Joe Hurt, and he is at pre-.
sent engaged in the business of sheep
raising near Rawlins and makes that town
his headquarters. Mr.. Hurt is an or.
binary appearing man, but one whom a
student of human nature would at once
select as possessed of pluck, bravery,
courage and endurance. He never
sought nor achieved the character or
name of a desperate, and no one can
truthfully say that Joe Hurt, or Ute Joe.
as he was dubbed by his admiring asso-
ciates, ever became engaged in dispute or
quarrel except to protect his own life or
property. He is a magnificent horseman,
an unerring shot, and is endowed with re-
markable eyesight and memory for faces
localities. He can discern objects with
the naked eye at a greater distance than
an ordinary man can sight them with a
powerful telescope. BY natural instinct
it could scarcely be denominated any
thing else-he is enabled to recognize and
infinitely describe either white man or In
dian after a lapse ofyears.
In the fifties Hurt was employed as a
professional hunter by the Overland ex-
press com He was stationed at a place
called Sulphur Springs. Game was plenty
and Joe, with the aid of an enormously
heavy three barrelled rife which he had
manufactured according to his own ideas
of a useful and effective frearm, in a half
days hunt often secured enough meat to
supply the station for a week. Between
business trips the daring rider explored
the country in the vicinity of Sulphur
Springs, and often came riding into the
station at a break, neck pace with a band
of Indians at his heels.
One day while Hurt was hunting sew
eral miles from his home a band of Utes
happened along and murdered the sta
ton agent and his family, a couple of
hostlers and the storekeeper. By way of
dessert they burned a consignment of hay,
an old stage coach and all the buildings
about the place.
Upon returning Joe observed the In
dams and knew that they were awaiting
his advens, as the redskins had a custom
OF exterminating the inhabitants of sta
ton when they attacked it. Poor Lo hest
tated at nothing in the anti reservation
days.
He rightly reasoned hat it was a bat
tie to the death and made for a high
knoll with all possible speed. Reaching
it he hastily constructed a barricade with
loose boulders and killed the horse which
he had been riding.
The redskins heard the shot and
fastened toward the %improvised fortress,
little thinking that the man with whom
they had to cope was as they afterwards
declared, "a great medicine man."
The fight lasted ten hours. The band
which dashed toward Hurt with the con-
fdence that a mountain lion leaps upon
the back of a timid antelope numbered
twenty one gaily painted warriors. After
the fortieth charge upon the impregnabIe
barricade, four eowed and terrified bucks
rode off, driving before them the ponies
formerly mounted by seventeen copper
colored sevages who had fallen victims to
the messenges of death launched at them
by Hurts three-barreled rifle. Joe
scalped every mothers son of the dead
braves and cured the trophies. He only
reported the occurrence because in duty
bound to do so, and mentioned one Of the
greatest battles ever fought and his own
brave and desperate action in a modest
manner
On another occasion a thieving band of
Utes stole a bunch of forty horses from
Mr.. Hunts ranch on the Platte. He
sent a man to warn the citizens of Raw
Inns and started after his horses.
A party was soon formed 10 Rawlins to
hasten to his assistance. They met Hurt
returning with the stolen horses, and
packed upon the back Of one of the ami
mails was a bloody bundle which was
found to contain fourteen fresh scalps.
The nerve of the man is simply Won
derful and his hatred of Indians a mys-
terry. He hunted them for months at a
t,p,n and thnnrh nffnp ,rn,,nlol $50,
never seriously injured.
As late as 1872 Hurt was acting as
scout, guide and hunter. In 1875 he
took a contract to supply a Chicago house
with 5000 antelope carcasses in one
month. He earned the stipulated con-
| sideration easily. 1t is an actual fact that
Hurt slaughtered and shipped 1900 an
telope in four days.